Matthew Wilken

TV Tower

On a beautiful clear day as the sun shines from above, a fascinating and ironic symbol rests on Berlin’s TV Tower. Completed in 1969, during the Cold War in East Berlin, the tower was erected to celebrate the dominance and superiority of Communism. Prior to this construction the government called for the removal of allContinue reading “TV Tower”

Disinformation Lessons From The Great Depression

In October, 1929, the NYSE crashed and so began the Great Depression. Naturally, emotions ran high throughout the United States as people needed work to provide for their families. On March 6, 1930 (Unemployment Day), citizens hit the streets in New York where a crowd of 75,000 gathered in Union Square. Grover Whalen, New York’sContinue reading “Disinformation Lessons From The Great Depression”

China’s Assistant (It’s US)

Welcome to the new year where not much has changed thus far but we must continue to educate each other. By educating one another it is assumed that one side is actually listening to the other and vice versa. It is also assumed that you know what you’re talking about…otherwise it’s not educating each other:Continue reading “China’s Assistant (It’s US)”

Did You Know? Agent Communication

In the Cold War days (and still today) US intelligence communicated with Russian agents through a variety of means. First of all, an agent is an asset and not a CIA employee. In Russia, an example of an agent was a defected KGB officer who was providing information to US intelligence. As it was imperativeContinue reading “Did You Know? Agent Communication”

The Lights Went Out During Christmas

It was 2015, Christmastime in Ukraine, and the lights shut off. Russia had hacked into their electrical grid and turned the power off. Luckily for Ukraine, the lights only stayed out for a few hours as their systems still utilized the antiquated “giant switch” in which they could reset the grid. It would take monthsContinue reading “The Lights Went Out During Christmas”

Hands on Syria

This is essentially a continuation from the previous post on the Syrian Refugee Crisis. Before the election and Coronavirus there was still an ongoing issue in the Middle East (you may have read about it in the papers). As the Trump Administration pulled out of Syria we heard about the “Kurds” on the news andContinue reading “Hands on Syria”

Syrian Refugee Crisis

The following was written in April, 2017. Although it was never published here, and is outdated by a few years, it contains relevant information and statistics regarding the refugee crisis in Syria. Since 2011 the nation of Syria has been in a very violent and tragic state. The Syrian people have found it extremely difficultContinue reading “Syrian Refugee Crisis”

Farming in Iowa…with Hackers

Nestled wonderfully in a lush Iowa cornfield sits a new automated John Deere tractor. These newer versions come equipped with satellite or wi-fi links that allow the driver quite a bit of freedom. The traditional hard work of farming has been given quite an upgrade as these tractors are able to automate the driving, fertilizing,Continue reading “Farming in Iowa…with Hackers”